The Hero, the Bad Guy, and Me
by iciclegirl235
Summary: Amy Cahill has won the 39 clues and is a world famous singer. When she runs into an old friend in London, love is in the air. But what are you suppose to do when everyone expects you to run off with the hero, when you really want the bad guy?
1. Prologue

_"Thank you Los Angeles! Have a great night!"_

_A teenage girl, looking around 18, with long reddish-brown hair and wide jade green eyes shouted into the microphone she was holding. She wore a jean skirt, a white shirt, and brown vest over it. Her pink lips wore an easy, natural smile, and her cheeks were rosy; she looked like she had just had the time of her life. Her name was Amy Cahill, world famous singer and winner (along with her brother) of the 39 clues hunt._

_(excerpt from_People _Magazine.)_

* * *

Amy and Dan Cahill were 16 and 13 when they won the hunt. By the time they were searching for the 39th clue, only Ian and Natalie Kabra remained in the hunt with them. Alistair Oh had retired off after breaking his collarbone, Irina Spasky had been blasted off Sentinal Dome in Yosemite, and was being treated in the hospital with severe injuries. The Holts couldn't take not eating a decent meal or days and they went back to America (Eisenhower had said something to us about and All-you-can-eat buffet). Jonah Wizard just gave up and went back to LA.

After they won, Amy and Dan were living large. Dan immediately decided to move to Japan and study and train into a ninja. Amy was at a point when she didn't know what to do with her life. Then one day she was at home listening to Taylor Swift, she started humming along. Pretty soon she was full out singing the song, reported neighbors. And she was _good_. Amy picked up a piece of paper and a pencil and started writing. Twenty minutes later, Amy had written her very first song, _Free_.

Everywhere she went, she would hum that song, and she would sing it at her own house. She went on writing, and had about a million of her very own songs. Soon, neighbors who heard her came over and asked her to sing it for them. They were a big hit. Every Friday, she would have small concerts at her house. Then people asked her to sing at parties. She posted the songs on her MySpace account. Before she knew it, she was traveling the world singing the her heart out to the world. Amy had found herself in music. She and Taylor Swift became close friends, Amy stating in a 2011 interview that Swift was like "the big sister she never had."

Amy Cahill was soon loved by the teenage population of the world. Amy said that she once was the shyest girl you'd ever meet, and now she was singing on international television. She is close with her brother Dan and Nellie Gomez, who is a top-class chef in Boston, where Amy currently lives. Amy talks about everything- _except_ for her love life. For reasons unknown, she was kind of touchy in that area. She won't talk about it to anyone except for Gomez. We have only heard rumors that it may have something to do with Ian Kabra, but those are only rumors.

Amy just toured California, most recent concert being in LA. She is now heading for London, UK, where Kabra currently lives. Will our favorite singer find love in London? Only time can tell.


	2. Reminiscing

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues.**

_lalagirl39: bored! on a plane to London._

_ThEchef91: London? bored? how so?_

_lalagirl39: been there, not to mention some bad memories…_

_Thechef91: including a boy who lives there, maybe? ;)_

_lalagirl39: whatever. london's huge, I'm not going to see him…hopefully._

_ThEchef91: i've g2g, big dinner party 2nite_

_lalagirl39: k, bye_

_ThEchef91: l8r girl_

I turned off my phone and looked out the window. White fluffy clouds surrounded us. I picked up my battered up copy of _Jane Eyre_ and tried to read, but I couldn't concentrate.

Old memories of Dan, Nellie, and me flooded by…me always being squished between them, Nellie turning up the music too much…Dan spraying me with salt 'n vinegar Lays…good times.

I also recall a memory when a certain boy and girl pretended to be Dan and me and took our plain tickets. Stupid jerks. They still are stupid jerks. I remember on the opening night of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_, _Part II_ when all the famous Hollywood stars and singers and their friends went to that huge theater in New York and watched it. Nellie and I went together, because Taylor wasn't that into Harry Potter (I don't know why, either).

As we walked down the red carpet, who do we run into? The gorgeous Natalie Kabra. She looked stunning in a long, red spaghetti strap dress. When she saw us, she simpered- I didn't even realize people could actually _simper_ until then.

"Oh my goodness! Amy Cahill and Nellie…ah…Nellie! What a _delightful_ surprise! Amy, Nellie and I are very good friends," she said to the press. A lady- by the looks of it, a journalist- in the midst of the crowd asked, "Miss Kabra, from what we've heard, I thought that you and Miss Cahill were sworn enemies?"

Natalie tilted her head, faked a surprised look, and said, "What sources have you been hearing from? Of course, during the Clues Hunt, Amy and I had to be enemies- I mean, we both wanted to win! But after the hunt, Amy and I became the best of friends and talked all the time! I helped her to become what she is today- a celebrated singer with wonderful taste in clothes!"

I was about to say something smart like, _Shut up, Natalie, _but before I could, Natalie just stood closer to me for a picture and said between her teeth, "Stopped stuttering enough to sing, huh? Too bad you don't sing _well_." That made me forget all about telling the press Natalie had lied, but before I could step on her foot with my high heel, she glided away. Loser. Jerk. Idiot.

I don't think Natalie will ever change…but I'm going way off topic.

Ian Kabra. To other girls, that name meant handsome, smart, funny, gorgeous, hot, strong, smooth, and just plain amazing. To me, that name meant ruthless, handsome, evil, gorgeous, stupid, hot, deceiving, strong, vile, cruel, power-hungry…I could go on for days. But I'm not going to waste my time thinking about him- even though that's all I do anyways. I'm going to try to enjoy London- hey, there might be some other attractive British guys, right?

And then I remember his piercing, amber eyes, and totally forget what I was talking about.

I heard the flight attendant announce that we where landing. I leaned back into my seat and tried to relax. Honestly, what could possibly go wrong?

Ironic how every time someone says, "what could possibly go wrong?" something _always has to go wrong._

* * *

I got off the plane quickly- time for the avoid-getting-mobbed-by-people-drill that always ensued after traveling. Paul, my body guard-person-thing, led me through the crowd of fans outside. I told him I needed to go to the bathroom, and he cleared the restroom of people and let me go in.

I changed into a mini jean skirt and a black t-shirt. I put on a blue hooded sweatshirt and smoothed my hair. Then I stepped back outside, and Paul led me through the crowds once again. Once we were outside, I felt the cool November wind run through my hair. It felt exhilarating, awakening. I had been to London before- the 39 clues was an unforgettable experience- but this time I wasn't concentrating on not getting killed. As I got into the limo, I felt…well, alive!

When the limo stopped, I realized I didn't know where I was staying. We stopped in front of a long path that led to the biggest mansion I had ever seen.

It was about ten times the size of the White House, and a million times more gorgeous. The grounds were covered in flowers of all kinds, and tall trees danced in the gentle breeze. From the distance, I could see five figures on the steps. Two were sitting on the steps, two were standing behind them and talking, and one was leaning on a pillar a little away from the others. I couldn't quite make out who they were. I walked down the pathway, admiring the colorful flowers and ponds scattered about. I was feet away from the front step when I stopped short. I was shocked. I was amazed. I felt like I was 14 again, a stuttering, heart broken, kid. The tall figure leaning on the pillar looked at me, slightly smirking.

It was Alistair Oh.

Just kidding. It had to be Ian Kabra, didn't it?


	3. Meeting

Chris Brown. My little brother. Ted Starling. Nick Jonas.

Anyone of those guys would be more than welcome to pull the mysteriously realistic disguise of Ian Kabra off. But no, fate just seems to hate me. I suddenly wished I was wearing jeans instead of the short jean skirt, from the up-down look Ian was giving me. He didn't look so bad himself. Jet black hair was falling over his eyes stylishly, almond shaped dark eyes, perfect smile. Add expensive looking black pants and a crème colored button down, and you had an Ian Kabra original.

I made myself look away and looked at the other four people. One of them was Natalie Kabra, wearing a satin blouse and a fake smile- not surprising, I thought, remembering the Deathly Hallows incident. She was talking to a man wearing a navy blue suit with black hair slicked off his forehead and a oily looking goatee. Next to them stood two ladies wearing neat navy blue dresses and grandmotherly looks. All three of them had a crest tailored onto their uniforms resembling a _K_. The man was the first to speak.

"Velcome, Meese Caheel," he said in a thick Bulgarian accent. "Ve are delighted to be hosteeng you dureeng your stay een London. I am Edgar Strat. Please call me Edgar. Theese is Marilyn and Tonya. They vill tend to your every needs vile you are here. Now, let us go eenside."

He turned and walked inside, with Marilyn and Tonya at his heel. Natalie paused before she went in and said, "A _pleasure_ to have you staying here, Amy."

I could hear the malice in her voice, and had to use all my willpower to not roll my eyes at her. I just smiled and nodded. Then Natalie went inside.

It was just me and Ian.

Still smirking, he said, "Fancy meeting you here, love. Long time no see!" I gritted my teeth in anger. Dang it, it wasn't an imposter. Only Ian Kabra could say something like that after _losing_ the 39 clues to Dan and me. He still managed to get on my nerves.

"Yes, odd that we meet here, isn't it?" I said as maturely as I could. "And I'd prefer you don't call me _love_, Ian. You see, I don't like it when people lie like that." His carefully composed smirk disappeared for a second- into what? - but came back just as quickly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, _Amy_. Slip of the tongue. Shall we head inside?" I didn't want to go inside with him, but I didn't know where I was staying, so I just followed him in.

My breathe would probably have been taken away by the grand furniture and expensive china in the room, but I was busy on concentrating not to trip over anything or do something that might embarrass myself. My stuttering might have faded away, but my clumsiness hadn't faded into anything.

Ian led me up a white marble staircase that seemed to go on forever. "You might've invested in an elevator instead of all that furniture," I muttered, huffing and puffing. Ian, who was probably used to climbing up these, turned away and smiled. I don't think he meant for me to see it, but I did anyway.

Seeing him smile made butterflies flutter furiously in my stomach. I wished he would always smile like- wait, what am I saying? I am _so_ over Ian Kabra. He was just a childhood crush who broke my heart…

We walked down the hall in silence and he stopped at a door. He opened it and I looked inside. In the snow white carpeted room there was a large, canopied, comfy looking bed with silk bed sheets, a neat little desk, a sofa with a tv across from it, and a door that I assumed led to the bathroom. But it was the view that caught my eye. I sighed, "Oh!" and rushed as fast as I could without actually running to the window.

It was a huge window, taking up about half the wall. The sky was a icey, light blue without a cloud in the sky. There were about a million pathways criss-crossing each other. Their were more flowers than the front yard back there. Fountains, ponds, willowy trees, streams, benches- it was gorgeous.

Ian strode over to where I was standing and looked out, too. He glanced at me, and smiled over my amazement. "Nice, isn't it?" he asked.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," I said sincerely. He laughed.

"Yes, but don't tell Natalie that, she hates competition." I laughed along with him, then we stood there in silence. Almost like two civil people, just laughing and talking as though they were good friends.

Almost.

When I turned to tell him this, I realized he was gone. I was so mesmerized by the backyard I didn't even notice. I closed the door and just watched the backyard for sometime, till I heard a knock on the door. I assumed it was Paul, coming with my luggage, so I called, "Come in!" But of course, it wasn't Paul.

Instead, a teenage boy looking around my age came in. He was handsome, like Ian, but in a different way. He- why did I even compare him to Ian? I think I'm going insane.

Anyways, the boy had sandy brown hair and dark blue eyes. He was tall and fit. He looked around, sighed, and said, "This isn't the kitchen, is it?"

He had an American accent, like me. I laughed.

"No, it's not the kitchen," I agreed. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"I've been trying to find the kitchen this whole afternoon. I'm Jake, by the way." He looked at me and his eyes widened. "Oh, you're Amy Cahill! Ian said someone else was visiting, but he didn't bother to say who."

I grinned. "That was nice of him. So, are you just visiting London, too?" "Sort of," he said. "The Kabras are an old family friend, and my parents are kind of in Australia right now. So while they get to hang with the koalas, I stay here in London and go to college."

I laughed. Jake did, too. Maybe London _did have cute boys, after all? "Well, I better go- I'm still on the search for the kitchen." I said farewell, even though I didn't really want him to go._

"See you around," he said. "You too," I said shyly. Then I sat on the bed and gazed out the window.


	4. Falling

I was getting dressed for dinner. I had to look nice- who knows how many more people were staying in this place? Though, being a Monday night, I doubt that many were staying.

I wore a pair of dark jeans- no, I hadn't forgotten about Ian- and a cute white sundress-like top- I hadn't forgotten about Jake, either. I thought about wearing heels, but I didn't want to trip down the flight of staircases, so I settled with ballet flats. I'm not really much for makeup, but today I put on a touch of mascara and lip gloss. Deciding to leave my hair down, I grabbed a sweater and headed downstairs.

I was about half way down the stairs when I realized I had no clue where the dining room was. I inwardly smacked myself for not asking. I was reaching the end of the stairs, and was so concentrated on figuring out a way to find it that I tripped down the last ten or so stairs!

I stumbled, and grabbed onto the railing, but still went down. I was falling, falling, falling, and would have continued falling till I fell flat on my face, but someone caught me just in time. You're wondering, _Who?_ It's not that hard to guess. Just think of a certain person who seems to be in the most unexpected places.

Ian- yes, Ian _Kabra_, do you think I _know_ any other Ian?- saw me falling and quickly caught my shoulder and waist. I fell into his chest- it was like _marble_, seriously- and rubbed my head. "Good thing I wasn't wearing heels," I murmured. The last things I saw were Ian's almond-shape dark eyes filled with concern- then I blacked out.

I woke up in a warm, comfy bed in a quiet room. The lights were very dim, so it took a minute for me to focus on my surroundings. I soon realized that it was the room I was staying in. I heard soft, furious whispering.

"Ian, look at this! They've put it in the American _Teen Weekly_ that _you_ tripped _her_! That's not right! What are they thinking? Who reported this?" I recognized the voice as Natalie's.

"Nat, calm down. I'm sure this is just all a misunderstanding." That was Jake.

"Guys, give it a rest. Now you've woken her up." Ian was looking at me. He was sitting next to the window, while Natalie and Jake were sitting on the couch. Ian looked very tired, as though he had not slept in a while. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, and a few buttons were undone. His usually flawless jet black hair was slightly ruffled.

Even so, he looked devilishly handsome, and looked more like a regular human being than a gorgeous alien-super model. Natalie and Jake looked a little more rested.

"No, it's all right, I woke up on my own." My throat felt dry and I felt kind of drowsy. "What happened?"

Ian opened his mouth to talk, but Jake beat him to it. "After you fell, Ian caught you and carried you to the nearest bedroom. We called the nearest doctor, and he said that you were fine; your head might hurt a little bit due to the air pressure, after falling down all those stairs. You've been out the whole day since last night, and it's Tuesday, 11 pm."

I listened quietly, and then Natalie said, "Yes, it was a good thing Ian was there, or else everything might have been so much more worse."

I was about to say something when the door flew open. A very angry Dan Cahill barged in. He had grown tall; quite a bit taller than me, I hate to admit. His dark blond was longer and his jade green eyes were furious.

"Kabra! What the hell did you do to my sister?" He noticed that I was awake, and asked, "Amy, are you alright? What did he do? I read in this that he tripped you." He held up a Japanese newspaper.

Ian looked at him. When he spoke, his voice was filled with an anger I had never heard before. "Daniel, I did _nothing_ to your sister. _Nothing_. Someone fed the press with this story, and I doubt anything we say can change their minds. This is the perfect story for the media, innocent 39 clues winner gets tripped by jealous competition. But the story came out about two hours after she fell, so the only people who could have told them is the doctor or anyone at the Kabra Estate."

Dan still looked angry, when Natalie quietly spoke up. "Dan, it wasn't Ian. Ask Amy." Dan looked at Natalie like she was a ghost, not realizing she was there. Then he tore his gaze away from Natalie and looked at me questioningly.

_Are they lying?_ Even after all those years, we could still understand each other's thoughts.

_No, it's true. Ian caught me after I fell down a flight of stairs. _

_All right, I'll believe it,_He agreed. _But who could have twisted the story like that?_ I bit my lip.

_Someone who doesn't like Ian._ Dan rolled his eyes.

_Oh, that narrows it down!_

I was about to "say" something else, when Jake asked, "Dude, are you going to ask her, or just keep giving her those looks?" Dan looked at Jake.

"Who are you?" Jake held out his hand. "Jake McGuire. You're obviously Dan Cahill." Dan seemed to like that Jake knew his name, so he shook his hand and gave Jake a half smile. Then he looked at Natalie.

"Uh, Natalie? I think I might stay here, just, you know, till Amy's better and we figure this thing out. That ok?"

Natalie _smiled_ (I've never seen her do that to anyone other than Ian and the press) at Dan and said, "That's fine, I'll get you a room. Come on!" At that exact moment, Jake's stomach grumbled.

He smiled sheepishly and said, "Wait up, I want something to eat. I need Doritos; how can you British people live without Doritos?" He walked out with them.

Then it was just Ian and me. Lovely. Oh wow, I think his sarcasm's rubbed off on me.

"What are you smiling about?" I had no clue I was actually smiling. "Nothing…just…nothing." Ian smiled, too.

"Nothing." He looked out the window and ran his hand through his hair. I had the sudden impulse to run my hand through his silky, smooth, hair. It was like an invitation to- what am I saying? Rambling on about Ian Kabra's hair. It must be because of the fall.

I sat up and was about to stand when Ian took my wrist and said, "Oh no, Amy, I don't think you should get up until you're completely well. You might fall again." I didn't argue; I was feeling a bit woozy.

He let go of my wrist once I was in bed and walked over to the window. I wanted to thank him, to thank him for all of this, but he wouldn't let me get up. So I said, "Ian, come here."

He turned and walked over quickly. He looked concerned again. "What is it? Are you all right?"

I looked up at him and said, "Bend down." He did, and suddenly our eyes were the same distance. He looked at me questioningly. I threw my arms around him and hugged him. He stiffened in shock, but quickly relaxed and returned the hug. He was warm, and smelled exactly how I remembered, like clove.

Suddenly he let go, and I remembered who he was. Ian Kabra, breaker of hearts. And I was Amy Cahill, of the broken heart. At least one good thing came out of that.

I got to touch his hair.


	5. Comprehending

"Amy, I need to talk to you." It was Dan.

I closed _A Wrinkle in Time_ and turned to Dan, who was sitting on my bed. A serious expression was on his face. "What's up?" Dan was _never_ serious, as far as I was concerned.

Dan had changed somewhat since we won the contest. For starters, he was older. 16 years old, and I absolutely hate saying this, but not bad looking. He had girls all over the world (literally) chasing him. He had also matured a bit. Not a lot, but a little. He was still my maniac ninja-obsessed little brother. Going through what we went through can't not leave a mark on someone.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Then he said slowly, "I think someone's trying to kill you." I immediately gasped at him. "Are you sure Natalie's been giving you _Doritos, _Dan?" How could he just pull something like that out of nowhere? "Dan, I _fell down the stairs_. It could happen to anyone! If you're suggesting someone planned this, then how would they know exactly when I was going to come down? Did they _plan_ my every step? And…wait, are you suggesting _Ian _was part of this?"

"Amy-  
"No! I'm not finished! If he were trying to kill me, then why did he _catch_ me and ask for a doctor? Don't they want me dead? Who the heck are _they_, anyways?"

"Amy-

"….And, of course there's you and _Natalie_, why are you yelling at me about Ian if you're eating Doritos and all with _her_?

"Amy-

"…..Trapped here the whole time, they've had about a million chances to kill me, the moment I stepped out of the taxi, the Cobras could have pulled out some shiny silver gun or pull out one of those obsidian dagger things, and-

"AMY!!!"

"_What?"_

"Would you let me say _something_?"

"I've given you about a million chances, but you just started yelling…" He opened his mouth indignantly as if he were going to argue, but seemed to think better of it. What did he have to argue about, anyway?

"Amy, I did _not_ suggest the Kabras did anything- but good observation, any-hoo." I rolled my eyes. _Any-hoo?_ It might work on the Japanese girls, but didn't soften me one bit. He grinned what he might have thought was a cute, boyish smile- as a matter of fact, it was, but don't tell him I said that- then went all serious.

In a frustrated voice, he said, "Amy, I don't know _how_ I know, I just _know_ it- something bad's gonna happen. And that Jake dude, there's something funny about him. He told you his parents are friends with Natalie's parents, right?" I nodded. He nodded , and said slowly in the voice reserved for teaching little children addition and subtraction, "Do you know who Ian and Natalie's parents _are_?" Who…who…the Kabras! Ohmigosh, how did I not notice this? "The Lucian branch leaders!" I gasped. He rolled his eyes. "Duuuuh," he said. "But-but…I don't think they're doing anything," I said, my voice gaining certainty with each word. "If they were planning anything, then they wouldn't have waited this long. It's their castle, I'm the hostage, they're the rulers." He nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. But I have a hunch about Jake's parents. If they're friends with the Kabras, then obviously they're rich and powerful people; like the Kabras would associate with anyone lower than that. And from what we know about the Cahills, they were all rich and powerful, or, at least rich. With a possible exeption." He nodded his head toward me and himself. I grinned faintly; look at us now! We may not have as much money as the Kabras, but for a 16 and 18 year old, we were living large.

"So you're saying that Jake McGuire and his parents are Cahills?" Dan nodded. "But not just any Cahills," Dan added. "Lucians," I finished.

In all our years of clue hunting, Dan and I never found out what branch we were. That was our greatest peeve. And we were certain that everyone else knew, but since we won the clues and they didn't, chances of them telling us weren't so great. So we had basically everything in the world except for one of the things we wanted. Amazing how life works, right?

"But Dan, Lucians aren't always bad- and if they are Lucians, they would be under control by the Kabras, meaning they wouldn't hurt us!" He opened his mouth, surely to argue, when his mouth froze. Well, not just his mouth. His whole body. "Amy," he breathed. "What if- what if they're- they're _Madrigals?_" Oh. My. God. It made total sense. If they were Cahills at all, they couldn't be any other branch than Lucian. But if they weren't under the will of the Kabras, then they weren't Lucian. The only other- deadly- option would be Madrigals. "Dan-

"Get them."


	6. Bickering

"Dan?"

"Natalie?"

"Ian?"

"Amy?"

"Is this your hand, Dan?"

"No, it's my _foot!_'"

"Then _this_ must be your hand!"  
"Actually, that's my _hair_, I would appreciate if you would release it!"

"What's going on, you guys?"

"You tell me!"

"Amy! Amy, look at this: You, me, Ian, Natalie…but where's Jake?"

Silence. Okay, what the heck was happening? One second Dan and I were on the verge of uncovering something important, when a man the size of Russia (and trust me when I say Russia is HUGE) comes and throws each of us over his shoulder and into…a van?

"Are we in a van?" asked Dan, performing mind telepathy in the dark.

"I have no idea," said Natalie. "Ian, you should check this out, because I can feel I draft coming from over here. I don't think this is a van. They're not usually this long and...wide, are they?"

Okay, I had to hand it to her. That girl was pretty smart.

"Ian," she added, "perhaps you should go that way with, ah, Amy, while Dan and I wait here?"

Scratch that. She had as much brain as Dan's littlest toenail.

Ian looked at me and even in the dark I could feel his dark eyes piercing me. I felt uncomfortably hot as I followed him into the unending darkness.

Of all the places I could have been in and all the people I could have been with in London, I never expected to walk down a long, black, cold tunnel with a certain Ian Kabra.

"Where are we?"I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"That's what I'd like to know," he said, looking straight ahead.

My eyes had gotten more adjusted to the darkness. I couldn't understand what Ian was looking at. His dark eyes, a rich dark chocolate, gave away no emotions. His face remained a poker face. Yet I could see he wasn't exactly _happy_. Well, no duh, who could be happy if they were in this situation?

Ian ran his hair through his usually perfect hair, tousling it more than it already was. I wanted to tousle it even more, to run my own hands through it, to see if it actually was as silky as-

AARGH! What the _hell_ am I saying? I'm not falling for Ian Kabra. I don't even _like _him.

But lately even I can't convince that to myself.

It had been pretty quiet for a while. I turned to look at Ian, only to find him watching me intently. I blushed.

"What are you thinking of?" he asked.

Well, I sure couldn't tell him about any, um, _internal battles_ concerning me and his hair, so I told him the next best thing. "About what an awkward situation this is. I mean," I added quickly, hoping he wouldn't misinterpret what I meant, "four years ago, I would never have even thought about working with you to help us _both_, you know?" I waited for him to laugh, or respond back sarcastically, or, well, anything other than what he actually said.

"Are you sure about that?"

It took me a minute to get it. But when I did, I felt like…an ice cube. Icy cold and slowly melting.

"I-I…you don't…didn't…you d-didn't have to bring that up," I whispered. Korea? Alistair? Gold? Oh, Ian Kabra, you are an idiot…

"Amy, I don't know why I didn't tell you before…I can't even apologize…oh, why did I have to…," he didn't continue.

"Have to what, Ian?" I asked. I hate when i can't solve things. Why couldn't he just tell me?

His perfect lips opened, and he looked so lost in despair, I just wanted to comfort him. But…it was like calming down a small child who wouldn't talk to you. No matter what you did, you couldn't comfort him, because you didn't know what he wanted.

"Ian…," I began. Then stopped. "Okay, is it just me or is the air a little bit cooler than before?"

He nodded, temporarily forgetting what was going on. "And…can't you see better than before? Do you think we're-

"Outside, yeah, we-

"Better tell Natalie and Dan, right, because-

"we could escape from wherever the heck we are-

"Not to mention stop them from, ah, _whatever_ they happen to be doing-

"EW! Do _not_ even think of that! My brother, and the Prada-carrying princess? Um, no."

"Yes, well, I don't exactly want my sister making out with a guy who is _training to become a ninja_!"

"At least Dan has a brain."

"At least Natalie has a life."

"You can't live you're life without a brain."

"What's the point of a brain without a life?"

"Aarghhh, you are _so _frustrating!"

"Yes, I _am_ charming like that…"

And we went back down the long, dark tunnel, once again, bickering as though memories of Korea had never resurfaced.


	7. Thinking

"Are you guys _sure_ that you were out in open air? I mean, remember how suffocated it felt back there? So-

"Dan, shut up."

Ever since we had found Dan and Natalie…too close for our liking, they had been non-stop aimless chatter, which really gets annoying after a while. Thank god, we were almost out of the- well, we don't really have a clue what it was. Ha-ha, a _clue_, and yet Dan and I have 39 of them, but now we don't have any…hahaha…yeah.

We finally entered the cool night air. I could actually see a difference in the sky than before, because before I couldn't tell the black tunnel-thingy and it apart. But now, it was a sheet of navy blue velvet, scattered with stars. Wow. There were so many more stars here than anywhere else…

"It's because there are no city lights here," answered a quiet, silky voice. "And the air is so polluted there, too. Here in…wherever we are, it must be less populated, resulting in less pollution."

Did he just read my mind? Forget that. How does he _know_ all this? I mean, I knew it too, but I'm, as Dan likes to put it, a "book nerd". Ian Kabra? _Book nerd?_ No. But…you never know.

I stared into the night sky like I had so many times. Each star, so different. Some of them shined brightly, and some not as much. But, eventually, they would all get a chance to shine. Together.

It was so much like the story of our lives. When we were younger, Ian and Natalie got all the fame, luck and looks. Dan and I got…nothing. Then, we won the clues hunt and everything we had ever dreamed of was ours- and what we hadn't dreamed of. We both had plans that we couldn't imagine swaying off of. Dan followed his, by going to Japan, but he didn't expect to be so popular around the female population of the world. He was like America's Taylor Lautner, who was _way_ popular when I was 15.

I…was going to be an archeologist. Maybe I'd go a little off the path, become a scientific researcher of some sort. But a _singer_? Not in the book, or even the whole library.

And then there was this. Ian. I had planned to never see him again, to never talk to him again, to never think about him. Though sometimes, while I was touring, I dared to dream beyond. When I came to London, I was beyond nervous. So what if it was a crush from 4 years ago? Some things never wear off. Over time, relationships, if that's what you want to call it, can weaken- or grow stronger. What happen to ours? Maybe not enough time has passed yet to be able to tell.

I realized I was walking in pace with Ian. He turned and looked at me, the sweetest sadness in his eyes. He looked me straight in the eye. Butterflies fluttered furiously in my stomach.

"Amy, I have to-_LOOK OUT!!!!!"_

**Really bad chapter. I'm so sorry. The next one should be up soon, though, more action :) I'm thinking of renaming the story, but I'm not sure yet. Your input would be great! **


	8. Missing

**Disclaimer: If I owned the 39 Clues...guess what? I don't. So it doesn't even matter.**

Ian grabbed my wrist and started running, dragging me along. Soon enough, I was running too- I have no idea what from, though.

But my question was answered in seconds.

I saw something, huge and fiery, heading close to us. Ian pulled me even more, but I was frozen in spot. "Come on, Amy!" he yelled.

All I could think about was how this always happened, how fiery things had to come and ruin our day and make Dan and me run when I remembered- "DAN!" I shrieked.

Then Ian had no choice but to sweep me into his arms and run. I would have noticed certain things- like how he could run so fast with me in his arms, how he smelled _so_ good, how his shirt was unbuttoned _just_ right- but all I could think about was Dan. I kept screaming and looking, but I couldn't see anything but smoke.

This went on for a long time, Ian running and me screaming, till Ian slowed to a walk and my voice was hoarse. Then tears were streaming down my face, and he was wiping them away, telling me it was okay, then rubbing my back till I drifted asleep.

I woke up in a warm, comfy bed in a quiet room.

Déjà vu, anyone?

I was wondering what hotel this was and where I was singing and what I should wear when I remembered what had happened. I was in London, fell down a staircase, got kidnapped with Dan, Ian, and Natalie, walked down a giant tunnel of blackness, got a giant ball of fire thrown at me, and…had no idea where Dan was. I looked around the elegant hotel room I was in, as if he might pop out of nowhere and go "Doritos, anyone?" But he didn't. Then, the bathroom door flung open and Ian walked out, wearing good-fitting jeans and an unbuttoned crème shirt that showed off his gorgeous skin nicely. He saw that I was awake, and went red. But he regained his cool quickly. "I see Sleeping Beauty's awakened," he said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and got up. "Good morning to you, too," I replied. I felt his gaze on me as I walked to him, and felt it on my back as I walked past him to the bathroom.

I shut the door and looked in the mirror. I looked like a _mess_. My hair was unruly and messy, and my clothes were dirty and wet. I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, simple. Thank _god_ I wasn't wearing any makeup- that would've sucked. I washed my face and brushed my teeth a million times, showered, then went over to the giant closet that was in the hotel bathroom. There had to be_something_ to wear.

"Oh, wow," I said to myself. Just my luck. After trying on millions and millions of clothes even Natalie Kabra would die for, nothing seemed to work. The jeans were too big, the shirts were too small. The skirts were too short or too long. The dresses were too fancy or too long. Even the _capris_ didn't fit! This closet was made for anyone but me.

I dug through the piles of clothes, then finally found a pair of short jean shorts. It was November, but they were better than nothing. I put on a plain white button down-mens, obviously,- over a leaf green tank top. Not exactly my style, but, it would do.

I combed my hair, put it into a loose ponytail, put on some lip gloss, and walked out of the bathroom, to find Ian looking at a map he found. "Amy, you won't believe where we are," he said. He looked up at me. If it had been anyone else, I would have said he, you know, had his breath taken away or something. But this _was_ Ian Kabra, so I totally doubt that.

"Where are we?" I asked. He looked up at me, as if he forgot I could speak or something.  
"Aberdeen," he finally replied.

"What? But we were just in London, like, yesterday!"

Ian looked grim. "Well…actually, it wasn't yesterday. Amy, it's December 2nd."

My jaw dropped to the ground. "That's means we've been gone- 4 days, counting today."

Thoughts racing through my head a mile per hour, I glanced over at Ian. He shifted his hand quickly and hid something behind his back. "Ian, what are you hiding?" I asked, the words tumbling out of my mouth.

He didn't do anything. I counted to five in my head, then pounced. Ian didn't expect it. I jumped almost on top of him and reached for the thing he was hiding. But his reflexes were as good as mine. "Give"-breathe-"it"-breathe-"to"-breathe-"me."

After much effort, I pulled it out of his hand. It was a newspaper article:

_Amy and Dan Cahill, and Ian and Natalie Kabra, 18 and 16, have been reported missing. Amy Cahill was most recently at the Kabra Manor in London, when she supposedly fell down the staircase, minor injuries. However, it is most likely that Ian Kabra pushed her down, as they both were in a clues competition, which Cahill won. Sources which choose to remain unnamed report that Kabra might have kidnapped Cahill, while Natalie Kabra captured Dan Cahill. This is questionable, but evidence points to Kabra, for he might still harbor a grudge towards Cahill on the issue of the competition. The whereabouts of both Kabras and Cahills are unknown._

It was so quiet in the hotel room we could hear the slow drip of the faucet in the bathroom. I was about to say something when we heard a knock on the door. That was when I realized I was sitting on Ian's lap, and his arms were around my waist. I don't know which one of us was more red, as we both mumbled "sorry" to the other. Though, it was quite comfortable, sitting there…

Ian reached the door first. On the floor was an envelope, white, simple, no address, with nothing but our names on it. After closing the door shut, he walked over and opened the envelope. A piece of paper, that said:

_They are in The Isle of Skye. Come alone, disguised. Tell no one. You have till midnight tomorrow._

Short. Sweet. Simple, right?

No.

But Ian and I knew what this meant. We had to save our siblings, no matter what the cost. It didn't matter if this was a trap, it was our only lead. I looked him in the eye, and for the first time, I saw something else. Not an enemy, a heartbreaker, a rich snob. I saw Ian Kabra, a real person, who had goals, a friend. And I knew what we both were thinking. Whoever-ahem,  
_Jake_- had kidnapped our siblings was going to get it, and get it good.

It was on.


	9. Playing

I walked down the streets wearing a humongous fur coat and boots. My beret covered my hair and I wore sunglasses. Ian walked next to me, in an equally bizarre outfit. We were trying not to attract attention, but by the weirded-out looks we were getting by the people around us, we weren't doing a very good job.

"Ia- _Aaron_, I don't think we're doing the incognito thing very well," I whispered furiously, using the fake name I had come up with for him.

"Well, _Ivy_, I think I realized that, but what can we do? This is hard for us," he said, equally furious, and using the fake name he had come up with for me. And, he was right. We both were used to having bodyguards protecting us from mobs of crazy fans and being social (though it took _quite_ a lot of getting used to for me, that's still my weakest point). We were also used to being adored by so many fans- well, Ian was, at least. I'm not sure that I'm going to admit that…

We continued walking quickly. Our train left at 3:28, and it was 3:00. We brought nothing but what we were wearing and ourselves. The train should arrive at the Isle of Skye at 5, so I was in for a 2 hour train ride with Ian. Oh, joy.

Within 5 minutes of the departure, we showed the ticket holder our tickets and jumped onto the train, relieved. We found an empty compartment, miraculously, but it seemed that not many people were travelling that day. We took off our heavy coats and sunglasses and other strange disguises.

After about 10 minutes of traveling, I realized I was immensely bored. I was going to say something witty or clever, like, "Um…" but Ian beat me to it. "So, Amy, how about we play a game?"

"Why not?" I replied. "What kind of game?"

He smiled slyly. "Let's play the question game."

"How do you play?"

"Well, you simply asked a question and the other answers it _truthfully_, taking turns." He smirked, and I blushed. "Alright," I said defiantly. "Let's go."

"We'll start easy," he said. "Favorite color?"

"Jade green."

"Favorite author?"

"Jane Austen."

"Strangest thing you've ever done?"

"Well, there was this one- Wait, how come you keep asking questions? Isn't is it my turn?"

He smirked again. "Shoot, then."

"Um, okay. Um…What's your favorite color?"

"Easy…uh, green." He blushed when he said this. I wonder why?

"Favorite subject?"

"History. Okay, now let's just ask one question."

"Okay."

"My turn. What's something you really want to know?"

"My branch. And Dan's."

"Of course."

"What branch, if not Lucian, would you rather be?"  
"Janus- then Ekatrina, then Tomas."  
"Interesting."

It all started so innocently.

"Who do you think's hotter, Jake or me?"

That's when things started to fall apart.

"Ian, I really don't want to answer that…"

"Come on, Amy, don't be such a spoil sport!"

Then I got angry. "Oh, well I'm so _sorry_, Ian, for not doing what you want! Just because the rest of the world does, doesn't mean I have to!"

"What are you saying? The whole world doesn't bow at my feet! There are a lot of people that don't…

"Like?"

"Natalie, for example. Or Jake, or Dan-

"Could you name someone who you you're not related to? Or is a madrigal? Or someone who you betrayed by leaving them in a cave in Korea?"

Silence. What was I thinking, bringing that up? He wasn't supposed to know I still remembered- or still cared…but the damage was done. It was too late to take it back, so it was now or never.

"You still remember?" How he reads me mind, I will never know.

"How could I forget?"

"Yes…yeah, I see what you mean…"

"Yeah, if you've ever been stabbed in the back a million times, you'll know exactly what I mean."

"Amy…

"You didn't have to do it like that! You could have just, you know, worked with us to get the clue then leave us in the cave, but, no, you had to choose the worst possible way to do it!"

"Amy, I- What?"

"Ian, you didn't have to be so nice to me. To…to convince me that…that you actually _liked_ me."

When Ian looked at me, he had the maddest look in his eyes. So full of something I couldn't comprehend, but was so sure that I felt and knew what it was…When the train came to a stop.

We got off the train and walked to the curb. I turned to Ian. "Let's just- let's just pretend this didn't happen, okay?" I think he knew what I was referring to when I said _this_. He nodded, then said in a brisk, business like tone, "Alright. So, let's get to work. Where could they be?"

I wasn't really paying attention as we were talking and walking. I was thinking about the train ride and our near encounter with the truth. _That was only a taste of what was coming,_I knew_. And I avoided it this time, by some magical miracle. But I don't think I'm going to be so lucky next time._


	10. Frustrating

Ian and I sat on the curb of a park. We had no idea where to go. We had no idea what we were going to do if we figured out where to go. We didn't have a single clue, a lead, a hint. It was a dead freaking end.

"AAH!" I cried in frustration. "What the hell are we going to _do_?" Ian acted much more composed that me, but I could see in his handsome face that he had the same internal battle going on. I couldn't take the silence or stillness any more. "I'm going for a walk," I said, then started walking.

Kids were swinging on the swings, sliding down the slides, even though it was pretty cold. They were laughing and crying and smiling and frowning. I couldn't look at them without thinking about Dan. What was he doing right now? Was he waiting for me to come? He'd probably ask Natalie if she'd ever tried a cheetos-and-banana sandwich, and completely gross her out by telling the tale when he had. I smiled, then felt sad all over again. I don't know what I would do without him. He helped me get through the clue hunt. I don't know how I could get over losing him if he wasn't there to comfort me.

I had walked so far that I couldn't even hear the children at the park. The sun was casting a pinkish glow on the park, even though it was only 4:30. All of a sudden, a little girl appeared out of nowhere. She had big, sad brown eyes, and dirty blonde hair that was tangled and messy. She was wearing tattered clothes. She looked about 6 or 7.

She looked up at me and asked, "Do you know where my parents are?" Her voice had a musical, sweet yet heartbreaking sound to it. it was impossible to describe, so sad and so beautiful.

"Their names are Jack and Marie. They brought me to the park, and said they went to go buy me the teddy bear I saw on the window of the toy store. They said they'd come back. Do-do you know where they are?"

Listening to her made me realize what had happened. She had been abandoned, thrown away like a piece of trash. My eyes felt wet, but I blinked the tears away. I was angry at 'Jack and Marie'. Didn't they realize that they couldn't just through a life away like that? I bent down to the little girl and asked, "When did they go to the toy store?"

"A week ago." I felt myself go angry all over again. How could they have just _done_ that? People like Ian and I were risking our lives for our siblings, and this girl's parents had just walked away. They hadn't even left her in an orphanage, or a relative, or someone to feed her and hug her and teach her.

Unexpectedly, I asked, "Where would you go if you were looking for someone?" Random much? The little girl looked back at me and said, to my surprise, "I would go to Loch Coruisk. My mummy told me about that place when I was little, and told me stories about how all lost people go there. They go, and wait for someone to bring them back." Her eyes lit up. "Do you think mummy and papa are there? Maybe they're waiting for me to come!" I had been looking away, at the orange and pink and purple sky, with the blue swirls floated around. It was gorgeous. I looked back down to tell her that they might be, but maybe she should come with me, so I could get her something to eat and take her somewhere nice, but when I looked down, I didn't see anything but the path. The little girl was gone.

But that's when I realized where we had to go. It was as clear as a cloudless night. It was totally _obvious_. I ran back to Ian as fast as I could.

"Ian! Ian! I know where!" I shouted. I came up to him, panting. "Loch Coruisk. That's where we have to go." Ian looked at me, face expressionless. I couldn't tell whether he was listening to me or didn't have a clue of what I was saying, or just didn't believe me. He just stood there, looking at me. "Loch Coruisk. That's where we have to go," I repeated.

Immediately, Ian started briskly walking. "Where are you going?" I asked, catching up to him. "Library," he said. "We're going to need a map." I walked fast with him, and soon enough we came to the little town library here. "Oh, and Amy?" he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I heard you the first time." I rolled my eyes and him, and we both walked into the library, feeling somewhat more at peace than before, now that we knew where we were going. All we had left to do was to figure out what we going to do.

We got off the taxi and stood in the middle of nowhere. We were going through on instinct, now. But it felt like something was controlling me, some force of nature- or maybe it was all just in my head. We may never know. I said, "This way," to Ian with a sense of confidence, and it felt just right. Sure enough, there was a gigantic cave right in front of us, that totally said "Do Not Enter." So, we did what any smart person would do and entered.

Like, el duh. As Dan would say.

The cave was big, dark, and pitch black. Your typical evil hangout. As Ian and I wandered deeper and deeper in the cave, the anxiety grew larger and larger. It was screaming and knocking inside of me. Ian and I had no plan, really. We were hoping that the world would take pity on us and help us out.

Faster and unbelievably unnoticeable than seemed possible, the cave transformed into a hallway, the type of hallway you would see in a high tech studio or work place. Fluorescent lights, smooth floors, and wooden doors surrounded us. The doors on every side, but it looked like no one was there. No lights were on, no sounds other than our footsteps.

We came to a sudden dead end, with a giant metal door. It was slightly open, but we couldn't see anything through it. I looked at Ian and he looked at me. He slowly pushed the door open.


	11. Finding

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues. PS: Sorry about the late update, I tried to get this on about a million times but it wouldn't let me!**

Like many times in my life, we were in blackness- other than the tall, paneled windows at the tops of the buildings, but that wasn't enough light to see what was going on. Then, a voice rang out.

"Ah, Amy, Ian. I have been expecting you, you know. What took you so long?" I couldn't quite place the voice, but I had certainly heard it somewhere before. Or, someone with a similar voice…

All of a sudden, the lights flicked on. It wasn't very bright, but I could tell we were in a huge, warehouse/ garage kind of room. There were stairs leading up to each window, probably for cleaning and opening purposes. Then I took a look at the figures in the room.

A tall man stood in the center of the room. He had sandy blond hair speckled with gray, and dark blue eyes. Another person stood behind him, not as tall- Jake. My blood boiled at the sight of him. I'd never hated anyone as much as I did Jake, not even Ian. I don't think I really hated Ian, just……um, anyways, back to the main topic.

Obviously, the tall man was Jake's father. But next to both of them sat two people in two chairs, tied up, blindfolded cloth over their mouths- the works. I glanced at Ian when I caught sight of our siblings, and both relief and worry flooded through me. Relieved that we hadn't been tricked, and worry about how we were going to get them out. Ian's perfect features wore the exact emotions I was feeling.

"Who are you?" I asked, more confident than I felt. Isn't that always the case?

"I am Carter McGuire, head of the Cabrio Madrigals. And you, Amy Cahill, along with your brother, are also Madrigals."

It wasn't as shocking as I thought it would be, hearing that. I could tell he wasn't lying, the way he said it so bluntly, yet trying to hold back his laughter to the reaction and commotion I was sure to make. But I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

"You said Cabrio Madrigals," I noted coolly. "So, is there another type of Madrigal?"

Carter's smile went down a notch. "Yes," he said. "The Fabrio Madrigals. You see, along with Katherine, Jane, Luke, and Thomas, there came another, named Madeline. She was kicked out by her siblings because, while she had no obvious ability like Thomas, she had a knack of winning races and competitions first- including the 39 clues competition, in which she had more clues than her brothers and sisters. The siblings kicked her out, and she gave up the hunt, choosing to settle down and live a normal life. She had two twins, Cabrio and Fabrio. She told them the truth about their family, that they were Cahills, but asked them not to go in search of the clues. Of course, the twins had other plans.

"They went in search of the clues, but there came a time when there was only one clue left, and both the brothers wanted them just as bad as the other. They fought a long, hard, cold war, which may not be in your history textbooks, but is known in Cahill history as _The Madrigal War_. Fabrio and Cabrio both had children by that time, but the brothers themselves were killed in the war. You dear grandmother, Grace, was Fabrio's granddaughter, making you and Daniel his great-great grandchildren. I am Cabrio's great grandson. And, seeing as you, Amy, are the oldest living descendant of Fabrio Cahill, you are the Fabrio Madrigal branch leader."

Since the "You are a Madrigal" thing Carter sprang on me didn't work, he decided to try the "You are one of the Madrigal branch leaders" story. He couldn't be making up such an impossible story like that on the spot, but…how could that possibly be true?

I decided to play the _Okay, whatever, I believe you, and I'm cool_ card with him again.

"Okay…so, as a fellow Madrigal branch leader, I demand you give me my brother and Natalie to us, right now."

He smiled. "Amy, dear, you have _so_ much to learn. You can't honestly think I've wasted all of this time, energy, and talent to bring you here and just _give you_ Daniel. _I_ demand you give _me_ the 39 Clues."

I sighed inside. _OF_ COURSE. What else would anyone kidnap Dan for? But…why capture Natalie?

It seemed like I had voiced my thoughts out loud, because Jake, of all people, said, "Why capture Natalie? For Kabra here, of course. He was so helpful in all of this. He was the perfect person to frame as the bad guy, and when we take the 39 Clues and give you Dan, we'll easily frame Ian for the kidnappings, too. And, once I rat him out, _I'll_ be the hero. Not to mention, Ian needed some excuse to come. It's so obvious, the way he looks at you-

Ian and I went red, and Carter told Jake to shut up. "Give it all away, will you?"

Carter turned to me. "Now, Amy, about that offer…"

"I think you know the answer to that," I growled.

"Then, I suppose we have no choice," he said softly, motioning to Jake.

It all happened so fast sometimes I wonder if it really happened. Ian and I started running away from the guns before they were pulled out. The whole time, Dan and Natalie were cutting off their ties with a pocket knife Ian had managed to slip to them- so they were on their feet, too. We all ran, and Dan and Ian took Carter down. "Madrigal leader, my butt," said Dan.

I pushed Jake down till I was on top of him. He was still struggling. "To think I thought you were _cute_," I murmured so only he could hear. "Sorry about this, _cousin_." I grabbed his gun and hit him on the back of his head. He went out, cold.

I saw that Carter was out, too. The four of us tied the two up, tight, and pushed them to the corner. Dan was alright, for the most part, but Natalie was limping ever so slightly. We checked her foot; it was only sprained a little, so she'd be alright in a few days.

Dan went over and checked the door. "It's locked," he said. Oh, just my luck. We got so far, but of course, we just- then I had an idea. I looked at the window. Ian followed my gaze.

"You're bloody joking," he said, at the same time Dan said, "You have got to be kidding."

"We can do this," I said strongly.

"But what about Natalie?" asked Ian.

"I can do this, Ian," she said, just as strong. "It's not broken or anything.

"No way, dude, you'd, like, die-

"Never, Natalie, Mum would murder me-

"Either way, someone's going to die, I say we go for it," I said sarcastically. Natalie smirked, and gave me a look that said, _Brothers_. I smirked back at her and said, _Tell me about it_.

Wow. I think I just had a moment with Natalie Kabra. That should be in the Guinness.

Natalie and I walked towards the window, the boys trailing behind us. We climbed up the stairs wordlessly. When we reached the top, we stood there in dead silence.

"So, who's going to-

Suddenly we heard someone stir. Our heads whipped around. Carter was moving.

"No time for chitchat," Dan said. He took the gun he stole from Carter and threw it at the window.

The window shattered; glass glittered and sparkled in the air and all around us. Dan jumped.

Natalie was next. She took a deep breath, squeezed her hands, ran out, and went down. I was next.

It was a pretty high drop, but nothing that I couldn't handle. I gulped, and glanced at Ian. He was looking right at me. His impeccable face had an implacable expression. I didn't, couldn't read the look that was right in front of me, but before either of us could say anything, a strong gust of wind blew and brought us back to reality. I couldn't remember who was going to go next, all I knew was that we both jumped, and went down, down, down- together.

**Whew. That was long. Three pages on Word. Sorry about the lack of romance and the sappy stuff at the end, but I had to clear the "boring" details out of the way. Now, a few things:**

**No, the story is not almost over. Well, it is. There's going to be around, maybe 3 or 4 more chapters, and I'm trying to work fast. I'll try updating again sometime this week, but no promises. **

**I made a couple outfits for Amy, if you've read my story Faded Memories, then you might have seen them. Go to my profile page, the link is there. Feel free to comment on that page, review this story, or PM me about your opinion on them. (Oh, and while you're on my profile, PLEASE check out my new poll…I really want some opinions)**

**I know I've been really bad at updating- not just this story, but all of them, and I apologize. I'm just like that. I love publishing new stories at random times, but I absolutely suck at updating. **

**And, totally unrelated, but: Did anyone watch the Olympics? (yes I know it's over, I'm just slow) Did you see Apolo Ohno (sorry for any misspellings) get disqualified? AHH!!! I screamed at that. WHY?!? He was my favorite! GO USA!!**

**Um, yeah. Long AN. Hehehe…**

**Until next time. **


	12. Loving

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

**Sorry it's been forever. **

* * *

_JACOB AND CARTER MCGUIRE UNDER ARREST FOR KIDNAPPING_

_ Jacob and father Carter McGuire have been taken under arrest for the kidnappings of Daniel and Amy Cahill and Natalie and_

. _Ian Kabra. The four are safe in London at the Kabra Manor_.

I didn't read any further. I didn't _need_ to read any further. Jake and Carter were out of my life…for now. But I didn't want to think about later.

I was relaxing in my room at the Kabras' place, looking out the window. My concert was today. People asked if I wanted to cancel, but I chose not to. That would be a total waste of my London trip.

Yeah, I still sing. Remember? The whole reason I went to London was because of my singing career. Bet you forgot about that. Now I'm going crazy. I'm talking to someone that's not even real. I'd _die_ if any of this were in a book, or online, I swear.

All of a sudden, a voice interrupted my wandering train of thought. "Amy, get off the bed, we are going _shopping!_" sang Natalie Kabra.

"But Natalie-

"No buts, Amy! You need clothes and that's THAT! I'll meet you in twenty downstairs. Don't fall, though!" She winked, and was out the door in seconds

I sighed. There's no arguing with Natalie Kabra. But clothes? Honestly, I don't need _clothes_! Of all the things we do after we come back to the manor, we go _shopping_. I could be at a museum, or a library, or a bookstore…or at the mall shopping with Natalie.

* * * * *

"You're wearing _that_ to the mall?" Natalie screeched. "Amy, we're not just going to some _local_ mall!! We're going to the place where all of the celebrities are! All of your friends!! We might see someone _huge_ there!! Brad Pitt! Johnny Depp!! Tom Cruise!!"

Notice how all of the celebrities she listed were _male_.

I looked down at my casual jeans-and-sweatshirt attire. It wasn't horrible. It was clean. And, weren't we going to the mall to _get_ clothes, anyway?

But when I told that to Natalie she just marched me up to my room, and told me to come back with something a bit more acceptable. I rolled my eyes. What does "acceptable" mean in Natalie world?

Then I pulled on a pair of black shorts, and pink-and-white-collage sort of belt, and an aqua flowy tank top. I slipped on my favorite pair of vans and pulled my hair into a ponytail. Did I really need makeup? Well, _Natalie_ would say yes, so I put some black eyeliner and swiped my lashes with a brush of mascara. Then I looked in the mirror.

Whoa.

Okay, not to boast or anything, but I looked pretty good. But let's not go into detail of that or anything.

I went back downstairs (walking _very carefully_ down the stairs) and had Natalie "analyze" me again. "Fine," she approved. Then we walked to the-

Well, I'm not exactly sure of _where_ we were supposed to be walking. I was just following Natalie. But when we got to the giant gray room that had 6 cars in it, I realized it was the _garage_.

Like I said before- Whoa.

"Um, Natalie-

She waved her hand impatiently at me. "Our normal limo service is off on Fridays, so we're going to have to take the car. Is the blue Porsche alright?"

Without waiting for a reply, she walked over. Man, those heels were tall.

Natalie continued talking as I got into the passenger's seat and she started up the car.

"It's actually Ian's, but I don't think he'll mind for today." She gave me a meaningful look.

"What?" I asked.

She looked at me with an expression of mingled pity and amusement.

"Amy, darling, for the winner of the Clues competition, you sure are slow."

Oh. Okay. Thanks for clarifying. Now I understand. Everything's _so freaking clear now. _

She pressed some button and the garage door opened, and we backed out.

Driving in London had never been so much fun. Our hair was flying back in the wind, and we were laughing and talking and waving.

Yes, this is Natalie Kabra I'm talking about. Er, _WTH?_

We reached this huge mall-slash-plaza-like building, and Natalie stopped the car. A man in a blue suit came up.

"Ah, Natalie!" he said jubilantly.

"Philippe!" she cried.

Philippe smiled. "Long time, no see, my dear. And who is your beautiful friend?"

I blushed. Yeah, I'm still embarrassed when people call me beautiful and pretty and stuff, even though I perform in front of thousands of people every month.

"Hi, I'm Amy Cahill," I said, offering my hand. Philippe's eyes widened in recognition.

"As in _the_ Amy Cahill?" As far as I know, there's only one. I nodded.

"My daughters _love_ you! You wouldn't mind signing something for them, would you?"

I smiled. "Not at all." Phillipe pulled out a notepad and pen from his pocket; you could tell he was very organized.

"What are your daughter's names?" I asked.

"Alise and Kayla," he said with adoration and pride in his voice.

_Dear Alise and Kayla- Hope you're having a great day. Live! Love, Amy Cahill_

So it was lame with a capital L. It'd been a long time since I'd signed, okay? No one asked for my signature at the Isle of Skye.

"Thank you, Amy! Now, I don't want to take up more of your time. The usual spot, Natalie?" asked Phillipe. Natalie nodded at him, smiled quickly, and walked to the mall doors, pulling me along.

"_This_, darling," began Natalie, "Is the Làfayelle Plaza."

* * * * *

Three tedious hours of shopping, eight celebrities (five male, three female), twenty shopping bags, and thirty stores later, Natalie and I sat at Pinkberry eating frozen yogurt.

"I mean, Taylor's _sweet_ and everything," Natalie was saying inbetween bites of chocolate fro yo, "But he's so…clingy. Not my type."

"Yeah," I murmured, looking out the window. "Not at all."

I hadn't thought about Ian this whole day, up until now. It's got to be a new record. I just can't decide anything about him. I thought I hated him, but he's been so nice, and he hasn't tried to kill me _once_…

"Amy. _Amy_. AMY!"

I blinked. "What, Natalie? I'm right here!" She rolled her eyes.

"Physically, yes. Mentally, not at all. So, what's on your mind?"

Well, one of my questions was why she was being so nice.

But I just _had_ to burst out the real answer.

"Your brother," I blurted.

Natalie didn't even blink. She just took another bite of her yogurt and looked up at me.

"Amy, you're in love with him," she said calmly. I looked at her.

"Are you cra- you know what, you might be right, for all I know."

Okay, did _I _just say that?

But whatever had possessed me wasn't done yet. "I can't decide anything about him. He's…he's…he's so _frustrating_! One second, he locks me in a cave, the next, I'm jumping out a window with him! Every day is the same thing- blush, stammer, look at Ian, think about his hair, or his eyes, or his-

"Amy, you're in love with him," she repeated, even more calm. "You can't stop thinking about him. You want to touch his hair. You think he's got gorgeous eyes. Which he does, because they're mine," she said, sounding more like the normal Natalie. "And no matter _what_ you say to yourself, you just can't stop loving him. No matter what."

If anyone heard the words that were in my thoughts at that minute, they'd wash my brain with soap. Foul, foul words.

But the words Natalie said were so true. So, so true. They hit me in the head like a hammer.

"Oh my god," I murmured to myself. "I'm in love with Ian Kabra."

Natalie spooned some more chocolate yo fro into her mouth.

"Natalie?" I asked randomly. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

This question threw her off guard.

"Well…" she sighed. "Ian told me to be nicer to you."

The truth hit her approximately one second before it hit me.

"So he must love you, too," she said triumphantly.

I was dazed. Fazed, dazed, dizzy. "I…I'm going to take a walk," I said.

"Amy, wait! Not yet! I'm not done! You're not done!" I heard Natalie call.

But I didn't really listen.

* * *

**So.**

**For those who're wondering, the Taylor Natalie's talking about is Taylor Lautner. And Phillipe's a valet parking dude.**

**And points to those who get Natalie's "meaningful look" at Amy when Ian's car is mentioned.**

**Oh, and mall outfits (I'm sorry, but these are way fun to make) : http://www dot polyvore dot com/mall_outfits/set?id=17282352**

**Review :)**


	13. Singing

**You know, I'm not doing that bad with the updating thing, lately. **

**I don't own. **

* * *

I walked down the streets, fast. Just walking and walking and walking and not thinking at all. It was so calming and stress relieving- I should try to do it before a concert…

OH. NO.

Concert. Today. At 7.

It was 6:30 right then. Okay. So I had to get to the concert place, crap, I didn't even know _where_ it was…

"Miss Cahill!"

"Miss Cahill"

"_Amy!"_

"Amy Juliet Hermia Cahill!"

I turned to see three people running over to me. My makeup and hair artists, my fashion designer, and my manager.

I ran over to them.

"In, the car, _now_, young lady!" shrieked Alice, my ever-so-calm manager. "Kara, Camille, the makeup and hair equipment's in the back. Lucy, I think you have the clothes. Mason- _drive, drive, DRIVE!"_

We were probably going past the speed limit, but that didn't stop Alice. Or Kara or Camille, for that matter. As soon as I shimmied into the clothes Lucy gave me, they applied eyeliner and eye shadow and combed my hair as though they always had to do their work in a giant black van 30 minutes before show time.

And I did end up looking good- wearing a flowy crème tank dress that came just above my knee. My hair was combed straight and smooth, and my eyes popped from the gold shadow Kara had dusted onto my lids.

I slipped on my ballet flats just as we reached the stadium. I didn't have a chance to look at the building or doors or anything for that matter- but I could tell it was packed from the amount of noise coming from inside.

"So far, Lady Gaga and Chris Drew have performed. Gaga did Alejandro, and the crowd got pretty worked. Chris sang Trouble, so they all sort of relaxed. Cobra Starship's on right now- Hot Mess. The crowd's moving, so I think you should do something slow, something to relieve the tension. Maybe Losing You, or Quiet Party. Originally I thought you'd perform Baseball Life, but-

I barely heard Alice's instructions and suggestions. Before I knew it, my name was being called, and Alice was pushing me forward.

"Amy, whatever you do," she said, looking me square in the eye, "I know you'll do the right thing."

I walked onto the stage, taking the mic, facing over a thousand people. Maybe a million. I looked at the band behind me. They didn't know what I was going to sing.

_I_ didn't know what I was going to sing.

"Hey there, London!" I called out. Lots of cheers. Apparently, the energy from dancing with Cobra Starship was still there.

Then the cheering died down. I still had no idea what I was going to sing. Whispering began…

I saw faces and scenes flash in front of my eyes. Seeing Ian at the funeral. Ian saving my life in Korea. Ian leaving me in a cave. Ian and the sharks. Saving Ian's life. Seeing Ian on his steps when I first came to London. Meeting _Jake_. Ian saving my life again. Ian…Ian…Ian Kabra. The one that I was in love with.

_I used to be a princess_

_Walking in a world full of magic and happy endings._

_I'd always dreamed of finding my prince  
_

_He'd be charming and polite_

_Courageous as a knight_

_But never did I know_

_That the prince wasn't always the hero, oh  
_

_What're you supposed to do when you fall in love with the bad guy? _

_Oh, you can't stop the feeling that makes you feel so alive!_

_And, I tried to make it go away_

_But even now, to this day_

_I know I'm not gonna be set free_

_It's like the hero, bad guy, and me. _

_  
See, he's got double personalities_

_Sometimes nice and sometimes mean_

_I think that's the reason why I love him  
_

_The only thing is_

_I've gotta know,_

_Is if he loves me, the same way, oh_

The band had unconsciously started playing.

_What're you supposed to do when you fall in love with the bad guy? _

_Oh, you can't stop the feeling that makes you feel so alive!_

_And, I tried to make it go away_

_But even now, to this day_

_I know I'm not gonna be set free_

_It's like the hero, bad guy, and me. _

_The hero, bad guy, and me, oh_

_There's nothing I can do!_

_I've tried to figure it out_

_I can't understand what_

_This is all about!_

_Either he loves me or he doesn't_

_But he's not giving me an answer_

_And I want to know_

_What it's like for him…_

Then I sang softly.

'_Cause what're you supposed to do when you fall in love with the bad guy? _

_Oh, you can't stop the feeling that makes you feel so alive!_

_And, I tried to make it go away_

_But even now, to this day_

_I know I'm not gonna be set free_

_It's like the hero, bad guy, and me. _

_The hero, who is the bad guy_

_Me and you_

_The hero_

_The bad guy_

_And me…_

I drifted away, my voice slowly fading.

The crowd burst into cheers and applause and screams. Everyone.

I saw Dan and Natalie and _Nellie_ near the front of the stage, screaming and clapping. Even the band was clapping for me.

I saw Alice back stage, and she smiled at me, mouthing, _Told you so._

And from the corner of my eye, I saw an auditorium door open, and a person walk out of the stadium.

A tall, handsome person with jet black, flawless hair.

* * *

**Yeah, I wrote that song. Sorry if you hated it- oh, and the funny spacing. Fanfic wouldn't let me space it the way I wanted to. I didn't like it myself, to be honest. **

**Well, only two more chapters, I think. Wow...**

**Review, please. )**


	14. Dancing

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues.

Oh, and I just wanted to mention Amy's name here. In the last chapter, Alice called her Amy Juliet Hermia Cahill. Points to those who got the Shakespearic reference; I thought it'd be kind of poetic if Amy's mother named her after two of Shakespeare's most famous female leads. And if you want to imagine, you could say Ian is named Ian Romeo Lysander Kabra :)

* * *

Once again, I found myself in my room at the Kabras' mansion.

Once again, I was reading.

Once again, I wasn't really thinking about what I was reading.

Once again, I was rudely interrupted by the door opening widely.

Once again, it was Natalie Kabra.

But this time, she closed the door shut and sat down next to me. She sighed after 2 seconds and looked at me sympathetically- well, as sympathetic as you can look for a Kabra.

"You've really got it bad for my brother, don't you?" she more or less stated.

I didn't even try to deny it or anything. "You could say that," I said.

Then she looked at me straight in the eye. I blinked. "Natalie, are you-

She had that evil look on her face, the one that you get when you're playing matchmaker for someone.

"Amy, did you hear about the ball that's coming up tonight? The after show ball from yesterday's concert?"

Yes, I had heard about it. And I wasn't planning on going. The theme was-

"Summer Nights. Oh, perfect, I know just what to do-

Summer freaking Nights. It was _December_. Who in their right mind would even think of suggesting a theme like that? It was like Christmas in July- it _just didn't work._

"Natalie, what are you getting at?" I asked, exasperated.

"Ian's going," she said simply. I slowly put the facts together.

"Ian's- no. Don't you even _dare_. I'm not going. You can't make me!" I know I sounded like a 5 year old. But at that point, I _didn't even care._

"Oh, yes you are, Amy Cahill. You're staying at my place and I haven't pranked your bedroom once, not even the feather prank; the least you can do is to go to the freaking ball!"

I glared at her. "So prank me. I don't care. Just leave me alone." That was better. I sounded like a hormonal teenager- what an upgrade.

Natalie glared back. "You're going to go. Consider it…repayment."

I scoffed. "For what? The time you held a gun to my brother's neck? Or the time you locked us in a cave in Korea? Face it, Natalie. Ian hasn't talked to me. Why would he chose a _ball_ to pronounce his true love to me? Why are you even helping me? Because you're stupid brother _told you to?_"

Natalie went silent, then spoke quietly. "Amy, I'm not doing this because Ian told me to. I'm doing this because I think that you two have a chance together. If there's anything we need right now, its a little love. And I think _both_ of you earned some."

I sat there, listening, trying to make sure I was really hearing every word she spoke, digesting it. Then she spoke again, with more force.

"So you can take this chance, and risk it, or you could sit at home and think about what a big mistake you've made for the rest of your life. And when you're future children ask you about love, you can just say you walking away from it and-

"Okay, okay, I'll _go!_"

Natalie smiled sweetly, but behind the façade of sweet evil hid something else. Hope? Happiness?

"Time to get ready then, Amy."

I think not.

* * *

"So make up first," she said. She opened a door and we entered a room bigger than the room I was staying at.

Natalie sat me down in a chair and brought over about 50 cases of whoknowswhat. Then she took out a brush and started attacking my face.

Imagine this:

"La de da de da…oh, no, don't touch that! La, la hero, bad guy, and me…no, no hands _down!_ Hmm, hm, loves me or not, ohh, oh, oh- NO! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT YOUR HANDS? _AWAY FROM THE FACE! I WILL GET THIS RIGHT IF IT'S THE LAST THING I- _DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

Now replay that about 800 times in your head for 3 hours.

After she finished my face, she started me hair- though she wouldn't let me see anything at all.

"Natalie, it's not like my wedding day or anything…Natalie, that- _ouch!_ That's freaking _painful!_ Who even taught you- _is that a spoon?_"

No, it was not a spoon, but I didn't like it either way.

Finally, she finished my hair and it was time to pick a dress. We walked into a room even bigger than the last, though it was completely filled with clothes.

She scourged the closet disdainfully. "No, nothing in here…I suppose…she's just a girl, but…oh, blast. Amy, follow me."

Natalie strode over to a random section of the closet and yanked a shirt off of a hanger. It was sparkly and glittery and said "Hannah Montana". I gave Natalie a look, and she blushed.

"She…er, she wasn't half bad when I was younger, you know," she said awkwardly.

Anyways, after she yanked off the shirt, she pulled the hanger and out came a lock. She pressed her thumb against it and it clicked open. "Old technology," she said offhandedly, as though she were talking about her cat Amelia. "_So_ ten years ago."

As soon as she said that, a great, tall door appeared out of nowhere (?) and swung open automatically.

The room we entered was small for Natalie standards, and _completely_ filled with dresses.

"So tonight," Natalie said, "You don't want to look sweet and innocent. You want to look _hot_."

The first dress I tried on was black and made of leather. It fit so well I couldn't breathe.

The next dress I tried was purple and long and elegant. "Too…classic," said Natalie.

The third dress was a short, hot pink number. "Too informal."

A blue wraparound. "Too boring."

A gold lamé halter. "Too flashy."

Then I tried on a pure white, simple dress. It came just above my knee, and had a sweet heart neckline. Tank-top style. It looked like it was made of silk, or satin, or some soft fabric that looked and felt nice. The dress fit me perfectly. It hugged my curves and made me look like a model. I _felt_ like a model. It was stunning.

This was the first time I had looked in the mirror since that morning when I brushed my teeth. Natalie had piled most of my hair loosely on my head, though she left my bangs and a few stray locks down. Whatever make up she had attacked me with before was working just right- my jade green eyes popped and my lips and cheeks were just the right pink. She had also placed a simple fine gold necklace around my neck, with a small jade green pendant hanging on it.

"Natalie…" I said, awed.

"You can thank me at the wedding," she said proudly. "Which _I'll_ plan, of course."

"Wha- _wedding?_ Who's? I have to go? When? Will I-

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Yours and Ian's. Who else?"

Then it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Hahaha, you're so funny. He's not even going out with me."

Natalie glared at no one in particular. "He'd better be after all the effort I've put in to make you look like this. Now, come on, we have to get you a pair of shoes."

* * *

"So I'm going to allow you to use the limo-

"No, thanks," I said politely to her. Natalie looked at me in shock.

"Then do tell, how are you going to get there?"

I smiled. "Taxi, of course," I said, as though it were obvious. Then I closed the door. This might be my "princess night" and all of that, but the last thing I was going to do was draw attention to myself like that. I walked as fast as I could in the slightly raised golden wedge heels Natalie had given me.

(They were like a miracle! Yes, wedge heels! I can't believe I've never heard of them before; they're like they were made for me. The heel was not small and pointy and all weird, but it attached from the heel of the shoe to the _toe_, meaning it was almost impossible for me to fall! Amazing!)

Of course I wasn't planning to take a taxi. And when I reached the end of the Kabra front lawn, I saw the plain, normal black Toyota waiting for me. I really had Dan to thank for shipping him all the way down from Boston to here.

(Yes, my car is a "him". I find it extremely sexist that cars and ships are often referred to as feminine! "Yes, dat's ma girl," said the pirate. "That be my lady!" said the captain. "A beauty, isn't she?" said the sailor. Why can't the ship be him? "Yes, dat's ma _boy_," said the pirate. "That be my _lord_!" said the captain. "A beauty, isn't _he_?" said the sailor. See, that wasn't so hard, was it?)

I got into the car, put on my seat belt, and smoothed out my dress. Then I got my keys out and turned on the car.

* * *

The doors of the Visciear Hotel were already open when I went inside. I showed my invitation to the man sitting at the front desk in the lobby, and he pointed to the hall on my right.

"Last door to your left," he said politely. I nodded in thanks and headed that way.

When I opened the door, I saw what looked like a castle room. A mansion room. It was a ball room. It was grand and big and beautiful, with tall white pillars on the outside, leading to balconies and terraces.

The room was filled with people milling about in fancy yet light wear, like me. There were random tables scattered around the dance floor, and waiters in black and white suits carried drinks and appetizers.

Think the Great Hall in Hogwarts during the Yule Ball. Or the backyard during Bill and Fleur's wedding. Or, just combine the two. It was truly magnificent.

Everywhere I went people smiled and waved and greeted me. Keira Knightley, Justin Timberlake, Chace Crawford, Carrie Underwood, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Momsen- but no Ian Kabra. What could I do?

Duh. I _dance._

_

* * *

_

"You're not so bad at this," said Ian. I did a double-take.

I had danced with a lot of people, then taken a break. Soon I found myself back on the dance floor, and had just been dancing with a lot of random friends- Tom Felton, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint (they all live in Europe, so of course they come to all the big events in Europe). So it shouldn't really be a surprise that I found myself dancing with Ian Kabra- but, _it was._

"That's what they all say, before I step on their feet," I said, trying to joke. He laughed. I laughed, too.

We danced around some more, talking. Somehow, knowing that I was in love with him made me more nervous being around him. I noticed all these little things about him that I never would've noticed before- the way his eyes were kind of goldish, the way his hair shined every time he moved, the movement of his feet, the slight sheen of sweat on his hands, as if it were there just to prove he was as human as me.

As I thought of all those small things, I heard the music change. It was slower- and made everything around us move slower. It was as if the whole room had been paused, everything except us. We kept dancing, and nothing but one other was in focus. I could feel the way his eyes burned into mine, and all at once, the emotion that I had seen so many times in his amber eyes were clear and raw.

It was love.

And I knew that my eyes reflected the same thing, because that's how I felt. I loved him. All the memories flooded back to me in one go, stronger than anytime before- him smiling at me after my dancing fit in Korea, the way his voice sounded in that phone call in Russia, when he saved me in Korea, the look on his face on Mt. Everest…how he locked me in a cave, the sharks in Australia…

Suddenly everything was spinning back to reality. The dancers in the room began dancing again. People were talking, laughing, smiling. I let go of his hands and pushed him away, then began pushing my way through the crowd as fast as possible. I was so confused. I loved him, and I think he loved me, so why couldn't I just tell him that and live happily ever after?

I needed to think. I needed fresh air.

* * *

"Letting go of the past, that's what."

The sun was just setting, and the sky was many shades of yellow, orange, red, violet, and pink. I didn't need to turn around to know who had spoken.

"What went on before doesn't last forever," he said, striding over to stand next to me. "We can't just keep playing this game of not doing what we want to really do."

"Yes," I said, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. "That's true. But are we just going to pretend like Korea never happened, and live without that?"

"No," Ian said, looking out into the setting sun. "We can only forget or forgive."

To any other person, those words would sound like some metaphoric quote that someone important might've said a long time ago.

To me, it was an apology. An apology from Ian and an apology for everything.

I turned around to face him. His features gave away nothing, but his eyes waited for an answer to his question. "Then I guess I'll have to choose one." He unconsciously held his breath. "And I choose to forgive."

And then the raw emotion was visible in his eyes again, and when he kissed me it wasn't the typical fireworks you read about in books. It was fireworks and sparks and the whole show. And as I ran my hands through his hair, I found at that my theories were correct.

That boy had some _amazingly_ silky locks.

"We have two options," he murmured to me as I rested my head on his shoulder. "We go back inside and face the media, or-

"We cheesily stare at the stars in the night sky, like they do in those corny romance novels?" I finished.

Ian blushed and ducked his head. "Well, I thought-

"Option B sounds just fine to me," I said, smiling. Ian smiled, too.

"I thought it might," he said, and we looked up at the stars twinkling down on us- they may be old light, but they still shined brightly.

* * *

Well, that's the penultimate chapter. Hope it satisfyed what you were expecting. I didn't want to like, write them to have a passionate make out session or something, after all that's happened. Something romantic, you know? Not to mention I'm pretty sure this is still rated K+, and I'm not planning on changing that. Sorry if you thought it was too long, but there was just so much for them to say, and I didn't want to split it up and have to deal with cliff hangers and transitions and all of that fun stuff. Just me being lazy :P

You know the drill...review :)


	15. Imagining

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues. **

**And did anyone see that they've added characters to the 39 Clues fanfic section? Just thought I'd mention it x)**

* * *

I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, filled with doubt. Was all that happened, those words we said- was it real? Did Ian really dance with me, and look at the stars with me? Or was it some part of my whimsical imagination?

There was only one way to find out for _sure._

I got out of bed, and closed the door as quietly as possible behind me. I knew Ian's room would be as big as Natalie's, if not bigger. As I walked down the hallways of doors, I finally came face to face with a giant emerald green door. That had to be it.

I went in, closing the door behind me. Ian was sprawled out on his gigantic bed, fast asleep. I felt kind of bad for waking him up…but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing what was going on.

"Ian- Ian, wake up," I whispered, shaking his shoulders gently. Ian woke up, blinking slowly and rubbing his eyes, yawning. I suppressed a giggle; he was so cute when he was half-asleep.

"Amy?" he mumbled. "This is a dream, isn't it?" Even in the night, his British accent was pronounced and silky.

"No, no, it's not I dream," I said. "Wake up."

Ian sat up next to me, still rubbing his eyes. "So you're real," he asked/stated.

"_Yes_," I said. "But that's not the point!"

"Well, if you weren't real then that would mean I'm hallucinating," he explained, as though it were obvious.

"Your point?"

"I don't have one," he said, sounding quite delirious. That was the _last_ thing I needed for him to be.

I shook his shoulders. "Ian, what's the last thing you can remember?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "Waking up. Realizing you're real. Being questioned like I'm some sort of convict!"

I let go of his shoulders. "Okay. You're fine."

"Of course I'm fine. So, what brings you to my room at 2 am in the morning?" He asked nonchalantly, as though half-dressed girls pranced into his room at 2 am in the morning all the time.

As I sat there, I thought it was kind of stupid, having to wake him up just to ask him if last night was all real. I felt kind of silly, so I didn't say anything.

"Amy?"

"Lovely day outside, isn't it?" _Why _did I say that?

Ian turned to look at me. "Amy, are you alri-

"Did last night really happen?" I blurted out.

He looked at me strangely. "What are- oh. _Oh._" Ian looked away, then when he looked back at me, he was smiling.

At first he didn't say anything. "Ian, I-

But when he kissed me, I think I knew the answer.

He started out slow, gently, like when we kissed on the balcony last night (which was REAL!). But then the kiss became more intense. He wrapped his arms around my waist and mine were around his neck. Ian didn't taste like what I'd imagined at all; instead of a minty or pepperminty taste, kissing him was like eating chocolate. With the satisfaction, as well- but none of the guilt. Well, maybe a little bit, because of Dan's surely horrified reaction to us.

_Us…_That word just sounded so strange and foreign to my ears.

"…Us…" I muttered. Then opened my eyes. "Ian, wait,"I said, pulling away.

He half opened his eyes, the opened part focused on my lips. "…Amy…"

"Ian, control your hormones for a second," I said, surprisingly able to be sarcastic even as I was sitting in his lap. "I mean, what's everyone going to say? You and-

"Amy, look at me," Ian said, interrupting me. I looked at him.

"Sometimes you can't think everything out. What, are we going to plan every kiss we do? Are we going to have some silly conjoined name, like Brangelina? What's it going to be, Amian?" I laughed out loud at that. "Let's just…what do you Americans say…go with the flow."

I smiled at that, but let his other words sink in. He was right; what exactly could we do by thinking?

So as we sat there, together, looking out his GIANT window to the HUGE backyard underneath the ENORMOUS sky, we realized we have enough time for everything to workout- enough to fill the GIANT window to the HUGE backyard underneath the ENORMOUS sky.

* * *

**Fin. **

**Well, this story is finished...though it took forEVER. If you have any questions, like "did amy and ian get together" go head and ask :P. But nothing like "what happens next" because I'm thinking about a sequel to this. **

**Ciao!**


End file.
